Bittersweet Heartbeat
by weaponofmassiveconsumption
Summary: They find a second chance at life, love and happiness in the middle of a dismal situation. [Fluffy Pregnancy Drabbles][#TyzulaTuesday]
a/n – Hi, and thanks for clicking on my story. It's for #TyzulaTuesday and is just drabbles of pregnancy fluff. They will probably be in chronological order. It has past Ty Luko in it, but other than that its pure Tyzula as well as pure pregnancy fluff.

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 **Bittersweet Heartbeat**

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 _ **Daddy**_

"I asked you to meet me here so we could talk about something important," said Ty Lee. She was shaking like an autumn leaf.

He studied her intently.

"You can be open and say it. You're one of my best friends. I care about you," Zuko said calmly. Ty Lee knew he would not be calm for long.

She took a deep breath.

"Do you remember when I was fighting with Azula – I'm still fighting with her but that's not the point – and you took me to get settled in that inn until I left for Kyoshi Island, and then we got kind of drunk and things happened?" Ty Lee asked, crumpling her cloth napkin up. It was damp with her sweat.

"Yes," Zuko softly said, "but I'd prefer not to talk about it."

"You're going to be a dad," Ty Lee blurted out. Breaking the news was both harder and easier than she thought it would be.

That statement changes _everything_ in both of their lives.

Two weeks later, Zuko had taken responsibility for his actions that drunken night. But that was not unexpected; what no one would have guessed was how Azula decided to step in. She spent half of her time _hating_ Ty Lee for the past several weeks. Their relationship never was stable. Zuko imagined Azula would never interact with Ty Lee again once she found out about the pregnancy.

Yet, he watched from afar as Azula unpacked the baby clothes she bought with Ty Lee. He may have fathered that child, but, if things stayed good with Azula and Ty Lee for once, he would not really be the kid's dad. Azula had taken up that role as soon as she could convince Ty Lee to let her do it.

Azula examined one of the little pink outfits.

"Are we buying both boy and girl clothes and then returning all of the ones for the gender we don't end up with?" Azula asked out of the corner of her mouth. Shopping with Ty Lee was bad enough.

"We'll _donate_ the ones for the gender we don't end with. That's what royalty does."

"You are not royalty." Azula said it too hastily, and she hoped it would not kill her chances with Ty Lee.

"My baby is," Ty Lee said without batting an eye. "It will be in my baby's name."

"I see." Azula had no other words.

"Ohhh! Look at that little flower! The little hair flower!" Ty Lee holds up the cloth ornament.

"She will not have hair that you can clip that into for some time," Azula said. Ty Lee glared at her and adjusted her position on her chair.

"I don't care. I want to buy this stuff for her!"

"You want to buy this stuff for you," Azula slowly corrected, sounding out each word as if Ty Lee had not realized that yet.

"I thought you wanted to be a big part of my baby's life," Ty Lee said. Of course she would use that tile. "It's basically stuff for _you_ too if you decide to be the baby's stepdad or stepmom or aunt or whatever it is you wanna be."

Azula studied Ty Lee's face. She was glowing about this, in comparison to how pasty and ill she was earlier today, and then later today, and mostly all of the day. Right now Ty Lee looked very happy, and who was Azula to try to curb Ty Lee's shopping addiction?

"I suppose I do like that little boy outfit."

"Do you want a boy or something?" Ty Lee gasped. Zuko stared at them and Azula glared at him.

"I only said I liked those clothes," Azula said.

Ty Lee turned her attention elsewhere, thank the spirits.

That evening, Zuko stopped his sister in the hallway. She waited for him to give some whiny or envious lecture about Ty Lee and the baby.

"You actually love her," he said. Azula was not expecting that.

"Of course not. The idea of her raising a baby with _you_ – blood daddy or not –just revolts me to the point where I had no choice but to step in. It was for the sake of my own sanity," Azula purred with flowing hand gestures and a careless expression.

Zuko did not fall for her pretend apathy.

He said, "It revolts you because you love her, and you can only see her having a family with you."

"Now that is absurd," Azula lied.

She brushed past him before he could continue making smug observations.


End file.
